Method of treating solids of revolution.



J. S. UNGER.

METHOD OF TREATING SOLIDS 0F REVOLUTION.

APPLICATION FILED 110?.19, 1912. Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

INVENTOR WITNESSES IQHIT S. "GINGER, DI- DU'QU ES'NE, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF TREATING SOLIDS 0F REVOLUTION;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug-19,1913.

mumfionmeexovemter 19, 12m.- Serial 110.- 732,221):

To all whom. #may concern 'Be' it l'm'own that 1, JOHN S. UNeER', a citizen of the United States, residing at Duquesne, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Method of Treating Solids'of- Revolutiongof which the following is a specification.

My invention-has relation to the treatment oi car wheels and similar solids of revoluti'on' such as gears; brake wheel's, double flanged truck wheels, crushing rolls whereby the tread and flangeportion or periphery of such articles is hardened and tempered, and

one object of my invention is to provide a novel method of hardening and tempering such ear wheels and similar solids of revolution by the use of which the structure of the steel in the rim or periphery of the articles'is modified,a fine crystalline structure is" obtained and the rim' portions are hardened or'tempered. A

A further object of the invention is to'provide a novel method of treating such solids used inthe treatmentof the articles is sup plied and it has also been proposed toimmerse the articles in water or other temper ing liquid. A still further method of hardening such articles used heretofore has been to apply a shield or cover to such portions of the article as are to remain untreated and then apply water, oil or other cooling me dium to the unprotected-portions to harden and temper such portions of the wheel. With such methods it has been found difficult if not impossible to treat the desired portions of the articles without also hardening or tempering other portions thereof.

Referring to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification the figure is a sectional side elevation and shows one form of apparatus adapted for usein carrying out my improved method of treating car wheels; and similar solids of revolution.

In the drawing 2 designates a tank or trough, having a fluid inlet 3 and fluid overflow outlet 4. p The overflow outlet 4 is made so as to be adjustable to regulate the height level at which the body of fluid is maintained within the trough 2 and is arranged to draw off the fluid from the upper surface thereof where the' fluid will be heated" to. the greatest extent.

Secured on the sides of the trough are bearings 5, 5v for the mandrel or arbor 6, which is constructed to enter the axle-eye of the wheels A which are removably secured thereon during the wheel treating operations. By making the arbor .6. slightly tapering on the wheel seating portion thereof,

the wheels will be held on the arbor by friction sons to cause thewheels to revolve when the arbor is caused to rotate by the motor or other prime mover. The bearings 5 are constructed to permit of the ready removal of the arbor 6 to facilitate positioning and removing the wheel in the trough and the collars 1010 by engagement with the-opposite sides of one of the bearings 5 prevent lengthwise movement of the spindle or arbor. The arbor 6 is detachably connected by a sleeve coupling 7'to the armature shaft 8 of a variable speed motor 9, or to a driving shaft or other prime mover.

A supply consisting of a number of arbors of diiiei'entdiameters' will permit articles having an axial opening therein in which thediameter of the-axial opening varies being treated, the overflow outlet 4 being adjusted to'maintainthe fluid in the tank 2 at the required level, enabling articles of larger or smaller sizes being treated.

In carrying out the steps of my improved method the wheel or other solid of revolution is placed on the arbor 6, preferably after being heated to the necessary temperature. The arbor is then positioned in its bearings 5 and connected by the coupling 7 to the motor 9 or other driving mechanism, and is then caused to rotate above the trough 2 with the periphery or tread of the article being treated extending below the level of the water, oil or other liquid within the trough 2 for the desired, distance.

When treating articles having relatively thin portions such as, for example, the flange portion of car wheels or the teeth of a gear wheel, such portions will be insulated or protected from too rapid chiliing of the protected portions in the cooling operation by coverin the desired portion of the articles with as estos or by coatin with a slurry of clay and water, or lime an water, .or a mixture of clay lime and water.

The overflow outlet 4 which is arranged to be ad'ustable to vary the height at which the flui is maintained within the trough 2 is first adjusted to suit the particular diameter of the article being treated so that a solid of revolution of a given diameter will be immersed the desired distance within the liquid. The article isthen rotated, usually at a comparatively slow speed with the lower portion of the rim thereof extending into the fluid in the tank 2 for a sufficient time interval to cool the rim or tread portions thereof, the portions of the article extending into the fluid in the. tank being thereby tempered or hardened, and in treating articles 1n this manner the structure of the metal in the periphe' of the article or, in the case of car whee s, the flange and tread forming the riphery of the wheel is changed and theesired finely crystalline structure obtainedr i In revolving or rotating the articles during the cooling operations care is taken to not rotate the articles at a speed high enough to cause the fluid to be thrown on the other portions thereof by centrifugal force and in this way contact of the coolin medium with thewebportion of the wheel 13 avoided and prevente The advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. By rotatlng the articles about a horizontal axis.

with the article positioned to immerse the desired portion of the rim portion thereof within the trough, the-rim of the article is alternately exposed to the cooling medium and to the atmosphere for any desired len h of time. 7

odifications in the construction and arhorrors Means other than the spindle and'spin driving mechanism shown-may beemployed in rotatin the wheel within'the scope of the appen ed claims, and the term article as used in the specification is intended toil cover all solids of revolution whether provided with a flanged periphery, as in a car wheel or not.

I claim z--- a 1. The herein described method of treating solids of revolution which consists in covering portions of the periphery of said article with an insulating coati heating the article, then rotating the article above i a tank containin a coolingmedium and causing the'rim o thearticle to, project bea p pose given rim portions thereof alternately;

low the level-of the cooling medium-to ex-.;

to contact with the atmosphere and with the cooling medium and thereby harden and J temper the rim of said article.

. 2. The herein describedmethod of temper-e ing solids of revolutionv which consists in a rotating a heated solid of revolution about. v

a horizontal axis, with the periphery of,

the article below its axial center immersed in a cooling medium to the desired depth, continuing such rotation until the tempering of the rim thereof is complete, and covering portions of the periphery of said article 0 with slurry thereon be ore starting to rotate the article being treated.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set n my hand.

' JOHN S. UNGER. Witnesses:

Gno. L. New, T. E. MoDownm.

to form a protective coating 7 

